Mega Millions Odds: What Are Your Chances Of Winning?

If you are headed to get a Mega Millions lottery ticket, here are some things you might want to consider before you choose your winning numbers.

Jeffrey Powers on Mar 30, 2012 (Updated: Nov 24, 2019)

Reading Time: 3 minutes

So you want to be a millionaire? Good luck, you’ll need it. The Mega Millions lottery is one of the most popular lotteries in the world. Americans will drive hours to buy a ticket that might make them a mega-millionaire. Statistically, the odds are against you. In case you are curious, your odds at winning a $540 million dollar Mega Millions lottery are 1 in 175,711,536.

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The Odds of Mega Millions…

To win the jackpot, the odds are against you: 1 in 175,711,536
To match 5 of 5 with no Mega Ball: 1 in 3,904,701
To match 4 of 5 and Mega Ball: 1 in 689,065
To match 4 of 5 with no Mega Ball: 1 in 15,313
To match 3 of 5 and Mega Ball: 1 in 13,782
To match 3 of 5 with no Mega Ball: 1 in 307
To match 2 of 5 and Mega Ball: 1 in 844
To match 2 of 5 with no Mega Ball: Unknown
To match 1 of 5 and Mega Ball: 1 in 141
To match Mega Ball only: 1 in 75

The Interesting Facts about Winning the Lottery

The odds of having to split the jackpot with another winner dramatically decrease if the lottery numbers are above 31. That is because most people use dates (birthday, anniversary) for their numbers
Therefore, the odds of someone winning using a birthday dramatically decrease due to the fact they exclude half the numbers.
Most common numbers picked by people in a lottery: 3-7-9-11-25-27
Least common numbers picked by people in a lottery: 20-30-39-40-41-48
Even though the odds of winning the jackpot are higher than getting struck by lightning, the odds of having a WINNING lottery ticket are considerably lower.
Thinking that certain numbers hit more often in one specific lottery is skewed. Most likely, the lottery balls used for a drawing will be brand new. The balls will be measured and scrutinized to make sure there is no unfair advantage.
The odds of you winning something are 1:75.

Richard Lustig has won the Lottery 7 Times

Some people have all the luck. For example, a man named Richard Lustig has won the lottery 7 times. “You have to invest money to get something out of it,” said Lustig in an interview. Maybe you can ask him to buy your tickets for you.

Is there a Winning Lottery Scheme?

I used to work for the State of Wisconsin. From time-to-time, I had to fix lottery machines. One time I was in the city of Fond Du Lac when one man came in with 84 winning lottery tickets. He won $500 on each of the tickets, and 84 of them equaled $42,000. He played this way every day. By doing this, he basically beat the odds by outplaying them.

While it’s not a guarantee, the math is there. Still, I don’t think you would want to invest something like $100 million to win $600 million. The odds are there but that’s a big risk.

How To Guarantee A Mega Millions Win

There are 46 Mega Balls. If you were to buy 46 tickets, specifically picking the Mega Ball for each ticket (increment the number as you go), you will be guaranteed to win at least $2 from a drawing. You’ll lose money doing this but at least you’ll have a winning ticket.

Tips On Picking Winning Lottery Numbers

Number combinations are harder to win than random. So if your kid’s birthday is 01-02-03, you might want to reconsider
Make sure you pick high numbers, too (over 31)
Chances of the exact same number scheme picked again are also 1:175 million. So look at the last 5 lotteries to make sure your number sequence is not similar.
Have fun playing the lottery! If you are betting the farm on winning this, then you might have a gambling problem. 1-800-bets-off, 1-800-Gambler, 1-877-MyLimit are some of the phone numbers out there. States have specific gambling hotlines, so check with your state.

Good luck in the drawing. If you’re a Mega Millions winner then, let us know @MethodShop

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Jeffrey Powers

As a podcaster, videographer and blogger, Jeffrey works to convey the geek message. Inspired and passionate about tech and geek life. As a musician, Jeffrey loves to rock the house.

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